Just a little share for you 580/590 SK owners to consider. I had a call from a new client who has owned a 580SK for over 10yrs & never had good brake operation, always shuddered & growled, never really pulled the machine up well. I might also say he never changed the transaxle oil in all that time either .... "But it only was used a couple of hrs a week - if that.." Eventually, the LH brake pedal would go to the floor & the master cylinder oil would be pumped into the transaxle in about 30 seconds. He figured it was time to do something about it - here's how the transmission filter oil looked when tipped up into a drain tin! I removed the transaxle on site & brought it back to the workshop for an autopsy. The LH disc had worn to the steel & ground out about 8mm of the brake piston - with cast iron filings contaminating the entire transaxle with a thick metallic grinding paste. So, if you own a 580/590 SK & your brakes aren't performing that well - its a good idea to do something about it before it costs you BIG $$
Good grief ! Wrong oil in it ?
No I don't think the oil in it was wrong, Case Hy Trans has a distinctive smell about it. It was just very old. The additive goes off after a a few years of use. I have a feeling, since this machine never really had good brake performance, that they were probably worn out when he bought it & it's just been grinding away over the last 10 years. More evidence/reason to replace all the oils & filters when you buy a machine.
I had a similar situation on a 580sk also except someone had put gear oil in tranny. Both brake disc were worn down to metal.
WOW! I can't believe the transmission charge pump would pull the gear oil!?? That's amazing!
I couldn't either but I believe it was the transaxle fluid but still gear oil. Also believe it still had some hy-tran in it also.
Any idea what a shop would charge to replace the transaxle / brakes? I'll be running my backhoe down the road when all of a sudden it wants to quit moving forward. It will move, but really slow. It pulls to the right. This has happened about 4 times. I don't use it that much so this is over the course of a year. By moving it forward and backward, it will again start moving forward and backward just fine. I elevated the whole machine and put it in forward and reverse. The back left tire doesn't spin. A buddy tells me he thinks its the transaxle that needs to be pulled with the brakes being re-done at the same time. I got an estimate from a Case Dealer and it isn't pretty...! Thought there might be some feedback as to what I should expect to pay.
The transaxle will have to be removed to repair the brakes. And of course the housing will have to be cleaned to get all brake material out. The dealer is going to be expensive for sure.
Over $10K, time to get out the wrenches and jacks...!
Yeah I’d say it is time to get out the wrenches. You’ll need a good concrete floor a good heavy duty transmission jack and a cherry picker hoist. You will also need the service manual.